Whoever discovered beans gets a big fat medal of appreciation from yours truly. They’re just incredible. Incredible and cheap. And so is this Slow Cooker White Bean Soup. This soup is thick, warm, comforting, and flavorful… and cost me LESS THAN FIVE DOLLARS FOR THE WHOLE POT. That, my friend, is the magic of beans.
What Kind of White Beans Should I Use?
I suggest using navy beans first, because they are creamy and break down easily when cooked, which will give you this nice thick texture in the finished soup. If navy beans are not available, my second choice would be great northern beans. DO NOT use cannellini beans, which are part of the kidney bean family, and require a heavy boil to break down a natural substance called Phytohaemagglutinin, which is a gastrointestinal toxin. The slow cooker does not get the soup hot enough for long enough to break down the toxins in those beans.
Do I Need to Soak the Beans?
Nope! This recipe does not require pre-soaking the beans. Some people claim that soaking beans then discarding the soaking water can reduce flatulence, but I, personally, find no difference. If you prefer to pre-soak your beans, you will need to add less water to this recipe and will probably need less cooking time. I have not tested that method, so I do not have a specific amount of water or cooking time to suggest.
Can I Use Broth in Place of Water?
This awesome Slow Cooker White Bean Soup uses a medley of spices, herbs, and vegetables to make its own flavorful broth right in the slow cooker – no Better Than Bouillon soup base this time around, folks. Of course you always have the option to use broth in place of water if you wish, just be aware that you probably won’t need to add salt at the end of the recipe, as directed below.
Can I Add Meat?
Sure, if you prefer meat in your soup I would suggest adding a ham hock or a smoked turkey leg to the slow cooker with your soup as it cooks. They will provide a wonderfully smoky flavor and will reduce the amount of salt you’ll need to add at the end.
Is This Soup Freezer Friendly?
Yes! This Slow Cooker White Bean Soup freezer beautifully. Make sure to divide it into single portions and chill it in the refrigerator first, then transfer to the freezer once cold. I like to freeze my soups in reusable Ziploc containers, but freezer bags also work great. To reheat either use the defrost function on the microwave, or transfer to a soup pot and reheat over low, stirring often, until heated through.
Love white bean soup? Check out my Chunky Ham and Bean Soup or Easy Rosemary Garlic White Bean Soup.
Slow Cooker White Bean Soup
Servings 6 about 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.11)
- 4 carrots (about 1/2 lb.) ($0.30)
- 4 ribs celery ($0.46)
- 1 lb. dry navy beans* ($1.25)
- 1 bay leaf ($0.30)
- 1 tsp dried rosemary ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked black pepper (15-20 cranks of a pepper mill) ($0.05)
- 6 cups water ($0.00)
- 2 tsp salt, or to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic, dice the onion, slice the celery, and peel and slice the carrots. Add the olive oil, garlic, onion, celery, and carrots to a large (5qt or larger) slow cooker.
- Give the beans a quick rinse in a colander and then add them to the slow cooker, along with the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, paprika, and some freshly cracked pepper.
- Add six cups of water to the slow cooker and stir to combine the ingredients. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- After 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, stir the soup and begin to mash the beans against the side of the slow cooker to thicken the soup. Once the soup is thickened to your liking, start adding salt to taste. Begin with 1/2 tsp and add more until the soup tastes flavorful to you. I used about 2 tsp total.
- Serve the soup hot with crackers or crusty bread for dipping.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Crockpot White Bean Soup – Step by Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion, four ribs of celery, and peel and slice 1/2 lb. carrots (about 4 carrots). Mince 4 cloves of garlic. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and 2 Tbsp olive oil to a slow cooker (5 qt. or larger).
You’ll need one pound of dry navy beans or great northern beans. Again, DO NOT use cannellini beans, which are part of the kidney bean family, and require a heavy boil to break down a natural substance called Phytohaemagglutinin, which is a gastrointestinal toxin. The slow cooker does not get the soup hot enough for long enough to break down the toxins in those beans.
Briefly rinse the beans in a colander, then add them to the slow cooker along with 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, some freshly cracked pepper, and six cups of water.
Briefly stir the contents of the slow cooker to make sure all the flavors are distributed, then place a lid on top and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours.
After cooking on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours it will look a little something like this. All the vegetables will have floated up to the top and the beans will have absorbed most of the water. Test a bean to make sure they are very soft. If they’re not yet soft, cook for one hour more (they should definitely be soft by this point, unless your beans are very old. Old beans sometimes do not soften no matter how long they are cooked).
Stir the soup and smash the beans against the side of the pot, which will thicken the soup (or you can use an immersion blender). The soup at this point does not contain ANY salt, so now it’s time to add salt so you can really taste all the different flavors. Begin adding salt, starting with 1/2 tsp and adding more until the soup is flavorful. I added 2 tsp total.
Serve hot with some crusty bread for dipping!
Looks like a great recipe! How can I convert it for my instant pot?
I haven’t tried making a bean soup in my Instant Pot yet, so I probably can’t give any advice there. :P
anyone try it in the instant pot yet?
I’m trying it today in my IP, planning on just pushing soup button. Did you try it?
We love this recipe! This soup shows up frequently on our weekly menu. My husband can’t get enough of it, and even the baby loves it! I sometimes add liquid smoke or lemon juice for a little something extra. It’s a great simple recipe, and I highly recommend you try it!
I want to use bean that I sprouted . They are frozen now ( I put it in the freezer after I sprouted ). How does that effect he cooking time ? ( I am not sure what type of beans those are , it looks like white beans but it had like a Speckled pattern on it )
I’ve never cooked with beans that are sprouted, so I’m not sure how they’d work in this recipe.
Thanks meant for offering such wonderful written content.
Good recipe- would have been better with a can of tomatoes!
I’ve made this before, following the recipe as is, and was surprised by how flavorful it was without chicken or vegetable broth. I made it again today but with a Greek twist: I added 1/2 tsp ground toasted cumin seeds, 1 tsp Greek seasoning mix, 1 cup of cooked rice, and the juice of about 1/2 lemon (to taste). So, so good. It was great with some homemade Kalamata olive bread. Thanks for another recipe staple!
Almost like my mom’s bean soup. She used the veggies but she didn’t add so many spices, just pepper garlic, a whole onion (removed at end of cooking) and a little olive oil. At the end of cooking she added salt and brown sugar served with oven fresh drop biscuits, makes the yummiest meal :)
I accidentally added the salt with all the ingredients. Will this cause the beans not to cook?
It should be okay. The newest word on beans is that it’s not salt that prevents them from softening, it’s acidic ingredients. Or, if the beans are really old, they’ll never soften.
Can You use chicken broth instead of the water? Would it make a difference in taste at all I wonder?
Yep, that’s definitely an option and it will add a lot of flavor. :)
White beans have been my husband’s favorite way of using them for a side dish or just a plate full of beans—add some vinegar, salt ,lots of pepper and a little cream(if you have it), but not necessary..Makes a meal out of them and loves them each time he has them…
Can you add red potatoes to this recipe?
You probably could, but it will make it very thick! :)
Flavorless and required a lot of doctoring.
ADVICE TO OTHERS: BEANS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRESOAKED SINCE THEY TURNED OUT HARD!
This recipe was really good!
I made it because it seemed easy and quick, and I had all the ingredients. But to be honest, I was expecting something quite bland and not very tasty. But then, when the 4 hours had passed and I went to stir the stew and mash the beans, it smelled great, and it tasted even better! To spice things up, I added a bit of Tabasco sauce to the served portions.
That’s two recipes from this site in a row that give really delicious and practical meals – thanks for sharing!
I love this soup! It is in my regular meal rotation. I use white great northern beans instead, because I prefer their taste. I also dislike rosemary, so I use less of that and more thyme. And omit the olive oil.
8 hours on low and the beans are still quite firm. What do I do?! :(
I’m not sure if it will help now, but you can try adding a teaspoon or two of baking soda. Some commenters have said that helps. I think it depends on the mineral content of your water. :(